Pickup ions, plasma anisotropy and instability at Saturn: Predictions for Cassini

Details Pickup ions, plasma anisotropy and instability at Saturn: Predictions for Cassini Pickup ions, plasma anisotropy and instability at Saturn: Predictions for Cassini

Dec 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufmsm11b..07c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #SM11B-07

Physics

2752 Mhd Waves And Instabilities, 2772 Plasma Waves And Instabilities, 5737 Magnetospheres (2756)

Scientific paper

Pickup ions are a primary source of plasma within Saturn's magnetosphere. These ions are initially in a strongly anisotropic ring distribution, but instabilities can rapidly cause them to evolve into a more isotropic distribution. Similar processes have been studied at length in the case of comets and Jupiter's moon, Io. Here, we apply these theories to Saturn's magnetosphere and predict that the Cassini spacecraft will frequently observe strongly anisotropic distributions. The important processes are the suppression of the ion cyclotron instability by a thermal background of a similar species, the limits to which ion cyclotron waves may reduce anisotropy (especially in a plasma where the pickup velocity is lower than the wave velocity) and the stability criteria for mirror mode instabilities.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Pickup ions, plasma anisotropy and instability at Saturn: Predictions for Cassini does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Pickup ions, plasma anisotropy and instability at Saturn: Predictions for Cassini, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Pickup ions, plasma anisotropy and instability at Saturn: Predictions for Cassini will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1647762